I Already Know My Magic Power Is Ridiculously High! Now I Just Need a Cute Wife... - Episode 74

I was surprised that someone would talk to me in this tense situation.

He didn’t seem to be a fan of mine.

**”Who are you?”**

**”I am Torbin Gadereeta, an envoy from the Rosham Marquisate.”**

The man who introduced himself as Torbin was of Satellite Satera class.

He was tall and had a stern face, but I could sense a slight nervousness in him.

*(The Rosham Marquisate… the sleeping tiger of the North, huh?) *

The Rosham Marquisate was one of the four great marquis houses of the Zakrian Empire.

It was known as the most militant noble house in the empire.

And if I recall correctly, the Gadereeta family was the leading knight house of the Rosham region.

From that, I could tell that the man in front of me held a fairly high position.

**”You’re from the Gadereeta family? What business do you have?”**

**”We suspect that this disturbance was caused by the Kingdom of Naia. If you are willing, we would like to offer our cooperation.”**

Hearing those words, I narrowed my eyes.

Whether to take this as an insult or as a gesture of goodwill was a delicate matter.

I could feel a probing gaze from the man who called himself Torbin.

For a house as powerful as the Rosham to send an envoy, their main objective was likely to witness the fall of Bangwall with their own eyes.

There must have been another reason he approached me directly.

**”No need. As our guest, you can just sit back, have some tea, and wait.”**

Since this incident concerned the honor of the house, it was something that Ortenos had to settle on its own.

**”Hmm… then, may I request some time to speak with you later?”**

I had intended to tell him to stay out of it.

It was like a sales rep from an unknown company asking to speak with the CEO without an appointment.

I couldn’t tell if he was an idiot who didn’t understand my message or if he was doing this on purpose.

**”I don’t have time for that. If you have something to say, my subordinates will handle it.”**

By the way, my father had instructed me to leave all guest interactions to Geraldo.

Not because he thought I lacked social skills, but because he wanted to keep my existence hidden.

**”…Lord Shalka, do you remember Lady Rokina?”**

Torbin, watching my expression closely, forcibly pushed the conversation forward.

It seemed he had something he was determined to discuss.

**”…Yes, I remember her.”**

Of course, I remembered Lady Rokina.

She was the girl who might have become my fiancée.

**”I would like an opportunity to explain regarding that matter.”**

**”Explain?”**

The engagement had never been finalized, so there was nothing to explain.

As nobles, both of our families understood that such arrangements were give-and-take, and the engagement falling through was not a betrayal.

It was just a hook to start the conversation.

But before that, the impression these people gave me was not good.

**”We deeply regret that the engagement with Lady Rokina was broken due to our circumstances. However, our belief that the Rosham family and the Ortenos family should work together remains unchanged. Therefore, we would like to propose a new marriage alliance with you, Lord Shalka.”**

**”…What?”**

I couldn’t help but respond with a threatening tone.

I wondered where Lady Rokina had gone, and why they were bringing this proposal to me now.

**”We can guarantee that it will be an even more advantageous match. Furthermore, we, the Rosham family, invite the Ortenos family to join the ‘Northern Alliance.’ At the next Grand Banquet, we hope to cooperate—”**

Torbin continued his long-winded speech.

Now I understood why I had a bad impression of them.

These people looked down on Ortenos and were simply forcing their own interests upon us.

It was infuriating how they unconsciously assumed, *”Ortenos is the weakest of the Four Heavenly Houses, so of course, they’ll comply.”*

In that case, I needed to make my stance clear.

**”Not interested.”**

**”What?”**

**”You people are unpleasant… Get lost.”**

Torbin’s eyes widened at my words.

**”…Are you rejecting our friendship?”**

**”It’s just the opinion of a mere guardian. There’s no need to take it seriously. However—”**

I emphasized that this was just my personal view.

Being able to speak freely in moments like this was a privilege of someone without official responsibility.

**”—Whether we can get along in the future depends entirely on your efforts.”**

I gathered my magic and infused my subordinates with it.

Red streaks, like bl00d vessels, appeared on the faces of my warriors.

For those seeing it for the first time, it must have been an intimidating sight.

**”…!”**

**”You should fully grasp whom you’re dealing with—We are Ortenos.”**

Torbin looked at me and the red-faced warriors behind me, sweat trickling down his forehead.

**”…My apologies. It seems we need to reevaluate our understanding. For today, I shall take my leave. I look forward to meeting you again, alongside my lord.”**

**”…”**

Torbin quickly regained his composure and bowed.

If this had been the Judiciary, they would have argued back, but Torbin showed no sign of frustration.

*(Was he trying to provoke me on purpose?) *

If so, what for?

Torbin wouldn’t be able to complain even if I dismissed him outright, yet he had taken that risk to confirm something.

I felt like I had been played slightly, but there was no point dwelling on it.

I turned my gaze away from Torbin and his men.

Now, it was time to finally put an end to this chaos.

**”Let’s go, everyone… Wipe out the Naia intruders!”**

**”Ohhh!”**

—

◇◇◇◇

—

Near the main castle, the battle was chaotic, but once we joined the fight, we quickly gained control.

**”Lord Shalka, your response earlier was a bit too harsh.”**

**”Gyaaah!”**

Geraldo spoke to me while slicing a black-cloaked enemy in half.

**”Hmm? You think so?”**

**”Splaaat!”**

I crushed another black-cloaked enemy’s head with my pipe.

I had somewhat expected Geraldo’s criticism.

**”Yes. While their attitude was indeed problematic, your reaction was a bit too extreme.”**

**”Even so… some people just keep pushing unless you hit them hard.”**

It was hard to tell whether someone was truly foolish or just pretending to be.

Torbin had a clear purpose in talking to me so persistently, so he was probably the latter.

**”They understood you because they live by the sword. But the nobles in the Imperial Capital, especially the royal family, won’t be as forgiving.”**

**”…Yeah, I know.”**

The royal family.

The group that Geraldo’s generation despised almost as much as Naia.

**”If you anger the royal family, you don’t know what kind of retaliation they might take. You surely remember what happened to Lady Illumina in the Imperial Capital… Lord Shalka, be careful not to let them use your words against you.”**

**”…I’ll be careful.”**

He was worried about what would happen to me when I went to the capital.